Awards

Ben Hsu, Contributing Writer

Articles

Auto insurance companies are less apt to penalize drivers financially for texting while driving than many other moving violations, a new study shows. Auto insurance quote comparison site Zebra found that the average insurance premium rate hike applied to a driver who received a ticket for...Read More»

Mercedes-Benz plans to jump into the subscription game with pilot programs in two cities, the automaker said at a dealer conference. The company confirmed the plan to Automotive News, but it was first discussed at the NADA dealers’ meeting Las Vegas at the end of March. Details are scarce;...Read More»

BMW said Wednesday that it plans to begin a trial subscription program in Nashville. If the Access by BMW program, which lets drivers sample a selection of its cars and crossovers and swap between them with no limit or fees, is successful in its trial market, the automaker plans to expand it to...Read More»

Nissan has quietly rolled out automatic emergency braking and blind-spot monitors as standard equipment on all 2018 Rogue Sport crossover SUVs. The safety tech was previously optional. Evidence of the change was uncovered in order guides by CarsDirect, which reports that Nissan markets the updated...Read More»

Washington, D.C., is the latest city to link its traffic system to cars equipped with vehicle-to-infrastructure, or V2I, communication, Audi said today. Audi is the first automaker to include V2I technology on some of its vehicles, a critical step toward self-driving cars. Right now, the benefits...Read More»

The 2018 Honda Accord sedan has been hailed by critics as handsome, athletic and with charisma to spare, but shoppers are walking right by it in favor of crossovers and SUVs. Dealers’ efforts to move the Accord have floundered, leaving a hefty inventory taking up space. As Automotive News...Read More»

Beginning next year, Buick won't put its signature on its cars. Instead, the only identifying mark to notify onlookers that they are behind a Buick will be the red, silver and blue “trishield” emblem. The only words to appear on the rear will be the model name, like Regal or Enclave...Read More»

It will cost consumers $250 more to buy some FCA cars, trucks, and SUVs, even if the advertised price looks the same. The Italian-American automaker discretely raised its mandatory destination charges across all its brands. The destination charge is a number not normally included in a vehicle's...Read More»

Despite single-handedly turning much of the world against diesel engines with an emissions cheating scandal that was revealed in 2015, Volkswagen is doubling down on them. Volkswagen Group CEO Matthias Mueller told Bloomberg that diesel could come back stronger than ever. "Diesel will see a...Read More»

Last week, President Donald Trump announced a plan to place tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Some car companies that assemble vehicles in the U.S. have responded negatively to the proposal—which sent automaker stocks tumbling on its own. Trump’s plan would impose a 25 percent...Read More»